GRAND RAPIDS, MI - When Roger Jansen ponders the future of the health care industry, he sees plenty of obstacles on the horizon.

The implementation of the Affordable Care Act, new methods of delivering care and an aging workforce, some of whom will be retiring in the not so distant future – all are challenges the industry must contend with, said Jansen, who oversees human resources for Spectrum Health.

Having the right employees in place is key to overcoming those difficulties.

With that in mind, Spectrum is partnering with Grand Valley State University to create its own, customized M.B.A program, which aims to give Spectrum employees the skills needed to lead the West Michigan health care system.

“You have to be pretty disciplined when your entity and industry is going through change to make sure that you’re as prepared for that change as you can be,” Jansen said. “For us, this joint M.B.A. with Grand Valley State, this is one of many efforts we’re taking to make sure we’ve prepared our workforce and our leadership as best we can.”

GVSU administrators said the program is expected to start in fall 2014, with the initial cohort of students totaling 22.

Sridhar Sundaram, associate dean of the university’s Seidman College of Business, said the program’s courses are still being designed, but will cover areas such as strategic thinking, leadership and ethics in health care and managerial economics of health care.

The training will aim to help Spectrum employees – doctors moving into leadership roles and employees currently focused on business operations – develop leadership skills and think critically about business decisions, he said.

Spectrum is covering the cost of the program, Jansen said. He declined to say how much the health-system is spending on the initiative. The funds are being diverted from the businesses’ existing training budget.

“We’re creating a tailored M.B.A. to Spectrum Health’s needs,” Jansen said. “We will be helping tailor the coursework, the experiences, the projects they’re involved with, and the only people in the courses will be other Spectrum Health people.”

The program is expected to take 22 months to complete. Classes likely will be held two days per-week every other week, and will include an online component, said John Reifel, interim dean of GVSU’s business school.

“Grand Valley’s history is serving community needs in the educational field,” he said. “This is just another opportunity for us to create and deliver programs that will be beneficial to, in this case, the area’s largest employer.”